Most aliens in Star Trek are presented in terms that the human mind can understand. The Klingons, the Romulans, even the Borg. We can make sense of their actions and motives. But in reality, new life that we meet out in space will have a lot less in common with us. Enterprise attempted to address this truth midway through its first season in “Silent Enemy,” which pitted our crew against beings that only CGI could create—and who never spoke a word.

In this episode of The Ready Room, we’re joined by Zachary Fruhling, Brandon-Shea Mutala, and Dennis Castello to discuss this episode that includes not an alien mystery, but also a culinary one. Join us as we talk about the true nature of Malcolm Reed, Captain Archer’s decision to tuck tail and run, the real reason the Enterprise needed phase cannons to be installed, and, of course, the infamous B-story: the search for Malcolm’s favorite food.

In our news segment, we discuss a new collection of the classic James Blish TOS novelizations, the results of the Strange New Worlds short story contest, and Simon Pegg’s thoughts on the foundation of Star Trek.